The present invention relates generally to refrigeration systems, compressor control systems and refrigerant regulating valve control systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a refrigeration system employing a pulse width modulated compressor or evaporator stepper regulator controlled by a variable duty cycle signal derived from a load sensor. Preferably an adaptive controller generates the variable duty cycle signal. The compressor has two mechanical elements separated by a seal, and these mechanical elements are cyclically movable relative to one another to develop fluid pressure. The compressor includes a mechanism to selectively break the seal in response to the control signal, thereby modulating the capacity of the system.
The refrigeration system can be deployed as a distributed system in refrigeration cases and the like. The preferred arrangement allows the compressor and condenser subsystems to be disposed in or mounted on the refrigeration case, thereby greatly reducing the length of refrigerant conduit and refrigerant required.
Conventionally, refrigeration systems for supermarket refrigeration cases have employed air-cooled or water-cooled condensers fed by a rack of compressors. The compressors are coupled in parallel so that they may be switched on and off in stages to adjust the system cooling capacity to the demands of the load. Commonly, the condensers are located outside, on the roof, or in a machine room adjacent the shopping area where the refrigeration cases are located.
Within each refrigeration case is an evaporator fed by lines from the condensers through which the expanded refrigerant circulates to cool the case. Conventionally, a closed-loop control system regulates refrigerant flow through the evaporator to maintain the desired case temperature. Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) closed loop control systems are popular for this purpose, with temperature sensors and/or pressure sensors providing the sensed condition inputs.
It is common practice within supermarkets to use separate systems to supply different individual cooling temperature ranges: low temperature (for frozen foods, ice cream, nominally -25.degree. F.); medium (for meat, dairy products, nominally +20.degree. F.); high (for floral, produce, nominally +35 to +40.degree. F.). The separate low, medium and high temperature systems are each optimized to their respective temperature ranges. Normally, each will employ its own rack of compressors and its own set of refrigerant conduits to and from the compressors and condensers.
The conventional arrangement, described above, is very costly to construct and maintain. Much of the cost is associated with the long refrigerant conduit runs. Not only are long conduit runs expensive in terms of hardware and installation costs, but the quantity of refrigerant required to fill the conduits is also a significant factor. The longer the conduit run, the more refrigerant required. Adding to the cost are environmental factors. Eventually fittings leak, allowing the refrigerant to escape to atmosphere. Invariably, long conduit runs involve more pipefitting joints that may potentially leak. When a leak does occur, the longer the conduit run, the more refrigerant lost.
There is considerable interest today in environmentally friendly refrigeration systems. Shortening the conduit run is seen as one way to achieve a more environmentally friendly system. To achieve this, new condenser/compressor configurations and new control systems will need to be engineered.
Re-engineering condenser/compressor configurations for more environmentally friendly systems is not a simple task, because system efficiency should not be sacrificed. Generally, the conventional roof-mounted condenser system, supplied by condensers, benefits from economies of scale and is quite efficient. These systems serve as the benchmark against which more environmentally friendly systems of the future will need to be measured.
To appreciate why re-engineering an environmentally yet efficient system has proven so difficult, consider these thermodynamic issues. The typical refrigeration case operates in a very unpredictable environment. From a design standpoint, the thermal mass being cooled is rarely constant. Within the supermarket environment, the temperature and humidity may vary widely at different times of day and over different seasons throughout the year. The product load (items in the refrigeration case) can also change unpredictably. Customers removing product and store clerks replenishing product rarely synchronize. Outside the supermarket environment, the outdoor air temperature and humidity may also vary quite widely between day and night and/or between summer and winter. The capacity of the system must be designed for the harshest conditions (when the condenser environment is the hottest). Thus systems may experience excess capacity in less harsh conditions, such as in the cool evenings or during the winter.
Periodic defrosting also introduces thermal fluctuations into the system. Unlike thermal fluctuations due to environmental conditions, the thermal fluctuations induced by the defrost cycle are cause by the control system itself and not by the surrounding environment.
In a similar fashion, the control system for handling multiple refrigeration cases can induce thermal fluctuations that are quite difficult to predict. If all cases within a multi-case system are suddenly turned on at once-to meet their respective cooling demands-the cooling capacity must rapidly be ramped up to maximum. Likewise, if all cases are suddenly switched off, the cooling capacity should be ramped down accordingly. However, given that individual refrigeration cases may operate independently of one another, the instantaneous demand for cooling capacity will tend to vary widely and unpredictably.
These are all problems that have made the engineering of environmentally friendly systems more difficult. Adding to these difficulties are user engineering/ergonomic problems. The present day PID controller can be difficult to adapt to distributed refrigeration systems. Experienced controls engineers know that a well-tuned PID controller can involve a degree of artistry in selecting the proper control constants used in the PID algorithm. In a large refrigeration system of the conventional architecture (non-distributed) the size of the system justifies having a controls engineer visit the site (perhaps repeatedly) to fine tune the control constant parameters.
This may not be practical for distributed systems in which the components are individually of a much smaller scale and far more numerous. By way of comparison, a conventional system might employ one controller for an entire multi-case, store-wide system. A distributed system for the same store might involve a controller for each case or adjacent group of cases within the store. Distributed systems need to be designed to minimize end user involvement. It would therefore be desirable if the controller were able to auto configure. Currently control systems lack this capability.
The present invention provides a distributed refrigeration system in which the condenser is disposed on the refrigeration case and serviced by a special pulse width modulated compressor that may be also disposed within the case. If desired, the condenser and compressor can be coupled to service a group of adjacent refrigeration cases, each case having its own evaporator.
The pulse width modulated compressor employs two mechanical elements, such as scroll members, that move rotationally relative to one another to develop fluid pressure for pumping the refrigerant. The compressor includes a mechanism that will selectively break the seal between the two mechanical elements, thereby altering the fluid pressure developed by the compressor while allowing the mechanical elements to maintain substantially constant relative movement with one another. The compressor can be pulse width modulated by making and breaking the fluid seal without the need to start and stop the electric motor driving the mechanical elements.
The pulse width modulated compressor is driven by a control system that supplies a variable duty cycle control signal based on measured system load. The controller may also regulate the frequency (or cycle time) of the control signal to minimize pressure fluctuations in the refrigerant system. The on time is thus equal to the duty cycle multiplied by the cycle time, where the cycle time is the inverse of the frequency.
The refrigeration system of the invention has a number of advantages. Because the instantaneous capacity of the system is easily regulated by variable duty cycle control, an oversized compressor can be used to achieve faster temperature pull down at startup and after defrost, without causing short cycling as conventional compressor systems would. Another benefit of variable duty cycle control is that the system can respond quickly to sudden changes in condenser temperature or case temperature set point. The controller adjusts capacity in response to disturbances without producing unstable oscillations and without significant overshoot. Also, the ability to match instantaneous capacity to the demand allows the system to operate at higher evaporator temperatures. (Deep drops in temperature experienced by conventional systems at overcapacity are avoided.)
Operating at higher evaporator temperatures reduces the defrost energy required because the system develops frost more slowly at higher temperatures. Also, the time between defrosts can be lengthened by a percentage proportional to the accumulated runtime as dictated by the actual variable duty cycle control signal. For example, a sixty percent duty cycle would increase a standard three-hour time between defrosts to five hours (3/0.60=5).
The pulse width modulated operation of the system yields improved oil return. The refrigerant flow pulsates between high capacity and low capacity (e.g. 100% and 0%), creating more turbulence which breaks down the oil boundary layer in the heat exchangers.
Another benefit of the variable duty cycle control system is its ability to operate with a variety of expansion devices, including the simple orifice, the thermal expansion valve (TXV) and the electronic expansion valve. A signal derived from the expansion device controller can be fed to the compressor controller of the invention. This signal allows the variable duty cycle control signal and/or its frequency to be adjusted to match the instantaneous operating conditions of the expansion device. A similar approach may be used to operate variable speed fans in air cooled condenser systems. In such case the controller of the invention may provide a signal to control fan speed based on the current operating duty cycle of the compressor.
Yet another benefit of the invention is its ability to detect when the system is low on refrigerant charge, an important environmental concern. Low refrigerant charge can indicate the presence of leaks in the system. Low charge may be detected by observing the change in error between actual temperature and set point temperature as the system duty cycle is modulated. The control system may be configured to detect when the modulation in duty cycle does not have the desired effect on temperature maintenance. This can be due to a loss of refrigerant charge, a stuck thermal expansion valve or other malfunctions.